The "This Might Be A Stupid Question, But...." Thread

[magicdomino]

But a few of us have started using "Crud monkeys!" without it being a substitute for anything.   

[mmswm]

I use "Crud Monkeys!" on other forums and in real life now.  It seems a good exclamation to me.

[Slartibartfast]

I'll admit, I get a chuckle out of when people are typing too fast and accidentally put "W T H" instead of "with," because the forum changes it to "CRIVINS!".

[cwm]

Crivins? That's AWESOME!

I also really like crud monkeys. It's just so inoffensive. I've started saying it at work, and though I get some weird looks, I can guarantee that I will not get in any sort of trouble because of language saying it.

[Slartibartfast]

Crivins? That's AWESOME!

I also really like crud monkeys. It's just so inoffensive. I've started saying it at work, and though I get some weird looks, I can guarantee that I will not get in any sort of trouble because of language saying it.

"Crud monkeys" always gets Jonathan Coulton's "Code Monkey" in my head.  I end up singing "Crud monkey get coffee, crud monkey go to job . . ." in my head all day 

[Ser Lucien Liliane]

Crivins? That's AWESOME!

I also really like crud monkeys. It's just so inoffensive. I've started saying it at work, and though I get some weird looks, I can guarantee that I will not get in any sort of trouble because of language saying it.

"Crud monkeys" always gets Jonathan Coulton's "Code Monkey" in my head.  I end up singing "Crud monkey get coffee, crud monkey go to job . . ." in my head all day 

Oh no. Now it's stuck in MINE. Darnit, Slartibartfast!

[oogyda]

Slartibartfast is closest to the truth for direct deposit.  Direct deposit encourages customer loyalty.  The difficulty in closing the account is a small part of it, but the main reason is that you're more likely to go to your bank of account than elsewhere when you need a loan, and there's big money in consumer loans.  The fees they lose from a hundred direct deposit waivers can be made back from one mortgage or a few car loans, so it's good business.

Virg

I kind of figured it was just another *reason* to charge a fee.  They do like their fees.

[Ms_Cellany]

Crivins? That's AWESOME!

I also really like crud monkeys. It's just so inoffensive. I've started saying it at work, and though I get some weird looks, I can guarantee that I will not get in any sort of trouble because of language saying it.

"Crud monkeys" always gets Jonathan Coulton's "Code Monkey" in my head.  I end up singing "Crud monkey get coffee, crud monkey go to job . . ." in my head all day 

Oh no. Now it's stuck in MINE. Darnit, Slartibartfast!

I like the Typography version.

[Elfmama]

Looking at the Hubble Deep-Field pictures got me to wondering.  How can astronomers state definitively that our Milky Way galaxy is a spiral galaxy and where we are in it?  No one has ever been outside it looking in, as it were.   It seems to me that it's the equivalent of a fish in the Pacific Ocean claiming to know how big it is and what land-masses it touches.

[Slartibartfast]

Crivins? That's AWESOME!

I also really like crud monkeys. It's just so inoffensive. I've started saying it at work, and though I get some weird looks, I can guarantee that I will not get in any sort of trouble because of language saying it.

"Crud monkeys" always gets Jonathan Coulton's "Code Monkey" in my head.  I end up singing "Crud monkey get coffee, crud monkey go to job . . ." in my head all day 

Oh no. Now it's stuck in MINE. Darnit, Slartibartfast!

I like the Typography version.

Love it - especially the Facebook updates 

[Slartibartfast]

Looking at the Hubble Deep-Field pictures got me to wondering.  How can astronomers state definitively that our Milky Way galaxy is a spiral galaxy and where we are in it?  No one has ever been outside it looking in, as it were.   It seems to me that it's the equivalent of a fish in the Pacific Ocean claiming to know how big it is and what land-masses it touches.

First off, there's a finite number of galaxy shapes out there, and we've seen spiral galaxies head-on so we know what they look like.  Secondly, the shape of a spiral galaxy is consistent with what we can see from our own planet.  And third, it also fits with the placement and speeds of the other systems we can measure from here - things we can measure the vectors of are moving in the speeds and directions a spiral galaxy would explain them moving.  Of course it's always possible we're part of a hitherto-unknown galaxy formation not repeated anywhere near enough for us to see or measure, which looks and acts like a spiral galaxy does from our specific viewpoint, but the spiral galaxy theory is much more likely 

[Diane AKA Traska]

Looking at the Hubble Deep-Field pictures got me to wondering.  How can astronomers state definitively that our Milky Way galaxy is a spiral galaxy and where we are in it?  No one has ever been outside it looking in, as it were.   It seems to me that it's the equivalent of a fish in the Pacific Ocean claiming to know how big it is and what land-masses it touches.

First off, there's a finite number of galaxy shapes out there, and we've seen spiral galaxies head-on so we know what they look like.  Secondly, the shape of a spiral galaxy is consistent with what we can see from our own planet.  And third, it also fits with the placement and speeds of the other systems we can measure from here - things we can measure the vectors of are moving in the speeds and directions a spiral galaxy would explain them moving.  Of course it's always possible we're part of a hitherto-unknown galaxy formation not repeated anywhere near enough for us to see or measure, which looks and acts like a spiral galaxy does from our specific viewpoint, but the spiral galaxy theory is much more likely 

Or, if you'd like a more detailed answer:  https://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-did-scientists-determ

[Piratelvr1121]

The neti pot really is magic. Disgusting, disgusting magic.

I would also recommend a long, hot shower. Sit down in the tub if you feel woozy, but keep the door closed and the fan off, and let the bathroom get steamy as possible. I sometimes find that letting the shower stream hit my sinus area helps. It's a little massage, the heat loosens things up, and the moisture in the air will help soothe your mucus membranes.

I'll probably end up doing that just before bed. My fan's wired into the lightswitch, unfortunately, but it doesn't work too well, so I think I can steam myself to near-oblivion.

Another thing that's remarkably effective at clearing phlegm out of one's throat is alcohol.  It's a very effective solvent.  As long as you don't have any religious or other reason to avoid it, a small (1/4 ounce) sip of 80-proof spirits is very useful.  (There's a reason cough syrup used to contain a significant dose of alcohol).

**I wouldn't do this if your throat is raw, however.  That just hurts!

My go to sinus clearer is a shot of the cheapest whiskey I can find; and you have to let it linger in your mouth.  I learned this by accident as a bar tender but I've sworn by it every since.

I frequently take a small shot of Jameson right before church.  It clears the throat so I don't get all phlegmy when trying to sing the psalm.

Man after my own heart.   I've found the best way to sleep during a cold is to make a cup of lemon tea with honey and whiskey of your choice (mine is Jameson).  Helps with the cough and you get sleepy enough to get through the night.

As for stupid questions, yesterday I had one for my eldest who is 12, in 7th grade and has a girlfriend.  They have not kissed or hugged and he was complaining about pressure he gets from his male classmates to do so.  They don't even hold hands, really.

So my question was this, and please know I wasn't pressuring him into doing anything physical he or she aren't ready for, but it's something I've wondered about in the past.  What's the point of being boyfriend and girlfriend in middle school?  I remember my brother had "girlfriends" at that age and they'd barely speak, let alone touch and never did anything together outside of school.  Didn't even call each other.

It just seems to me that they're not much different than being good friends that happen to be of the opposite gender that happen to be attracted to each other.

He said "Yeah, that's about it."

[Virg]

Piratelver1121 wrote:

"What's the point of being boyfriend and girlfriend in middle school?"

There's social value in such a thing even for the young.  It's a shorthand and widely understood way to say that they're wooing each other when "it's complicated" is still far away in terms of people around them understanding.  It's also practice for more mature relationships and there's the "cool" factor in having a steady when you're that age.

Virg

[Piratelvr1121]

Piratelver1121 wrote:

"What's the point of being boyfriend and girlfriend in middle school?"

There's social value in such a thing even for the young.  It's a shorthand and widely understood way to say that they're wooing each other when "it's complicated" is still far away in terms of people around them understanding.  It's also practice for more mature relationships and there's the "cool" factor in having a steady when you're that age.

Virg

That makes sense.

Can you tell I never had a boyfriend at that age?